Here's the other Star Wars PSC pano that my good friend Derek gifted me- one of the greatest duos in the history of movies- Han Solo and Chewbacca! I forgot to mention this in my last post, but this card (and the Yoda/R2D2 card from the prior post) were done by Mike on Derek's own personal card stock. That's right- Derek is such a dedicated sketch card collector he had his own sketch card stock made with a custom designed front and back. Too cool!

   As for the card, yet again Mike just knocked this one out of the park with such wonderful detail. The expressions on Han and Chewy's faces are sensational- especially Chewy giving his guttural Wookie growl/yell. Mike also nailed it on this sketch with the colors he used. I also love how Mike did the welding goggles on both Han and Chewy- they look perfect.

Sorry for such a long time in between posts. When I get low on sketch cards to write about I lose focus. Mike's cards aren't easy to pick up on a budget, so I get them when I can. Hopefully I can post more often. Anyways, thanks for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #empirestrikesback #hansolo #harrisonford #chewy #chewbacca #milleniumfalcon

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

   Sorry that it's been a few weeks since my last post. I'm running low on inventory and Mike's cards aren't easy to pick up on a budget. Sometimes, when you least expect it, cards find you. Or in this case, it's nice to have great friends. I have a friend named Derek, he's a mega sketch card collector who's the biggest Empire Strikes Back fan that I know. I think he could quote the whole movie line for line if need be. He commissioned Mike to do two cards recently and he gifted them to me! Anyone who reads this blog knows that my favorite Star Wars scenes are the ones with Yoda (my favorite character) on Dagobah. So it's fitting that this first sketch card is just that- Yoda and R2D2 fighting over a light when Luke first (unbeknownst) meets Yoda on Dagobah. It's also on Widevision stock, which along with panoramic are my favorite card stocks. 

   Mike put a lot of detail into this sketch. I particularly like the shading, as I have always been fascinated at how great artists like Mike know exactly how to do the shading and highlights to enhance a sketch and make it even that much better. This scene always cracks me up in the movie- R2 staunchly defending his owner's stuff, and Yoda pushing the boundaries to see how Luke will react (hint: mostly like a whiny baby lol). Great stuff by Mike! 

   So thanks again to Derek for this week's card (and one more to be revealed soon), and thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #yoda #masteryoda #jedimaster #jedi #r2d2 #artoo #droid #astromech #empirestrikesback #Dagobah #lukeskywalker #jediapprentice 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

 

    So, one last sketch in my big Duron sketch card trade. This one comes from another one of my favorite sets- 2009 Clone Wars Widevision, and it follows the same theme as the sketch in my last post- Bounty Hunters! This one is an awesome full color sketch of IG-88/Cad Bane/Aurra Sing. 

   Some background, that if you've read my blog you may already know. 2008 Clone Wars was the first Star Wars product I ever opened. I enjoyed the movie and when I found out Topps was making a card product for the movie that had sketch cards I ordered my first case. Cards were so reasonable back then. An 8 box case cost me $280. Down the rabbit hole of Star Wars cards I went. After the Clone Wars movie came the Clone Wars TV show. And in 2009 Topps put out their Clone Wars Widevision set. I had a few products under my belt by then- most notably Galaxy 4, so I went all in on Clone Wars Widevision. I ordered 4 cases from my local card shop. I loved the product. So being able to get this card in this trade thrilled me.

    Looking at the sketch, I love how Mike draws IG-88's head extra skinny while drawing Cad Bane's hat extra wide. And the looks on the characters faces show that these Bounty Hunters are all business. Speaking of the looks on their faces, is it just my imagination or do all 3 characters have the same scowl with their mouths? Also, it's great that this sketch was done on a Widevision card because the characters don't have to be bunched together. Mike also added the yellow background which gives the card some depth. Overall, just another great card!

    Well, that's all for today so thanks to all for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #clonewars #bountyhunter #ig88 #cadbane #aurrasing 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    Sorry for being a bit lackadaisical with the blog the past two weeks- I've been mega busy here and have done a bad job with time management.

   That being said, let's get down to business. I'm still working my way thru the cards that I got in the big trade I made. Today card is another amazing one. It's a trio of Bounty Hunters on a 2010 Empire Strikes Back 3D Widevision card- Bossk/Boba Fett/Dengar. And while it's not a color sketch (yet), it sure is badass! These guys are all business. Bossk with his toothy grin, Dengar with his quiet stare, and Boba Fett with his steely resolve. Bad guys always make for great sketch cards!

   As I have said many times, I love Widevision cards because they give artists extra room to work. Could Mike do these 3 characters on a regular size sketch card? Most definitely. But they'd probably be a lot more mashed together. And while many sketch cards collectors aren't the biggest fans of Widevision cards because they are harder to store, in my mind the bigger sketches outweigh the storage issue. 

   So still one more sketch to go from this trade for next week, and it's.. guess what? Another Widevision sketch! Thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #widevision #empirestrikesback #bountyhunter #bossk #bobafett #dengar #hesnogoodtomedead 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    The second card in my big trade is from the Revenge of the Sith Widevision set. I'm always a big fan of the Widevision cards as they give the artist more space to work. And this card (along with the other two that I'll reveal in the next two weeks) all have multiple characters. This one is a classic "Bad Guys" sketch!

   From front to back: Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Sidious, and Darth Vader. You can definitely see that Mike uses his caricature and Sugar Boogerz styles on this one. I love the exaggerated forehead on Grand Moff Tarkin and the elongated mouthpiece on Vader. And Tarkin and Sidious' eyes are definitely Sugar Boogerz style. The background gives the effect that the trio is walking, and Tarkin with his hand on his chin gives off the vibe that he's in deep thought. Any time I'm able to pick up a Duron sketch with great characters like this it's a huge plus in my book. Stay tuned for the next two weeks as they both give off the same vibes that this sketch does, and they share a common theme.

   Sorry for the shortness of this post, but it's been a busy day and I wanted to squeeze it in before the day ends. To all who stop by to read it, thanks!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #revengeofthesith #grandmofftarkin #darthsidious #emperorpalpatine #palpatine #sithlord #darthvader #vader #lordvader #sithapprentice #anakinskywalker 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

   Well, the big trade that I was talking about in my posts back in late March and April was put into motion recently, and I  got the cards from my end of the deal the  other day. I'm excited about all four  cards that I traded for, each for different reasons. This first card, because I have never owned a Duron sketch from this set- 2015 Topps Star Wars "Rebels". This set was retail only, and I have literally never seen a box. Sketch cards were extremely rare (1:421 packs or approximately 1 in every 18 boxes). Add to that the fact that only 25 artists worked on the set, so I feel lucky to just have this card. 

   I'll admit it, "Rebels" was a little tough for me to get into at first. I streamed season one then literally didn't watch another episode for about a year. Then a friend told me to give it another try, that the show got better as it went along. I did, and it definitely picked up. Today's sketch is the Grand Inquistor, who was a Pau'an male Jedi Knight who turned to the Dark Side. He was the leader of the Inquisitorius, a band of Jedi Hunters who served the Galactic Empire, and he personally served Sith Lord Darth Vader. The Grand Inquisitor had multiple run ins with Jedi Kanan Jarrus and his Padawan Ezra Bridger. After Kanan bested him on Mustafar, the Grand Inquisitor chose to fall to his death instead of facing the wrath of Vader. 

   Mike really captured the essence of the Grand Inquisitor in this sketch. The beady angry eyes and the grimacing scowl on his face. It shows the Inquisitor's anger and determination, right on the verge of hate. Maybe not on the verge- maybe it's over that line. Add in the lightsaber and the cool background and this card is just fantastic!

   Well that's it for today so thanks to all for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #rebels #grandinquisitor #kananjarrus #kanan #jedimaster #ezrabridger #jediapprentice #darthvader #vader #lordvader #sithlord

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

 

    The final comic book cover Mike did for me was a re-creation of a Galaxy 4 Return card from 2009 on a Darth Vader #1 comic book. It was a fantasy mash-up of Darth Vader and Darth Maul with lightsabers crossed. One thing I liked about the original card and now the comic book cover is the look on Darth Maul's face- the scowl and the look of determination (or maybe it's contempt.. or hate). Mike killed it on the details of this cover. I love how he did Maul's horns and just his coloring and markings in general. Mike also did a great job of showing Vader's dominating height, not to mention his impressive detailing on his helmet and suit. Plus I have always liked how Mike draws lightsabers, and this one with the lightsabers clashing is really fantastic. One last thing- the background color. It makes me wonder if Vader is back on Mustafar for another fight? He couldn't beat Obi-Wan so maybe he wanted some sparring practice with Darth Maul. 

Mike definitely hit a homerun with this one! Oh well that's it for today, so thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketch #sketch #comicbook #darthvader #vader #lordvader #sithapprentice #Sithlord #darthmaul #lightsabers 

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